Thursday, June 21, 2012

“The ONE to Ask” Turns One Year Old

Ferndale, Michigan – When individuals have questions on financial topics they need someone to ask. This is where Credit Union ONE comes in.

In response to what their members were asking for, last year Credit Union ONE launched The ONE to Ask, a Facebook online chat for members to post questions and get them answered by subject experts.

As the series continued to grow and Credit Union ONE saw a larger fan base, they expanded their “live sessions” to two hours in order to accommodate the number of questions received.

Held quarterly, the credit union has hosted four The ONE to Ask sessions to date. The series began with the credit union’s President/CEO Gary Moody addressing general Credit Union ONE informational issues, and continued with sessions on debt, new products, mortgage lending and auto loans.

Analytics have shown steady growth in popularity as the series has continued; not only have more fans been added, but the number of questions received each session has increased, and fans are interacting with each other regarding the questions that have been asked.

Facebook posts leading up to the event share the event date and time as well as sample questions on the topic for that quarter, and an e-mail blast is sent to Credit Union ONE members to let them know in advance that a session has been scheduled, encouraging them to participate. The last session, which was held on June 6th, showed new “likes” spiked by eighteen fans, directly attributable to the e-mail blast sent two days before the session. Also notable was eight questions received during the session, and many fans posting to each other during the session.

“When we started The ONE to Ask, we didn’t quite know what to expect,” said Katie Cummings, Senior Education Specialist, who also serves as social media point person with Credit Union ONE’s Marketing partner, Berline. “It is a great opportunity for us to connect with members and for them to have direct access to leaders within our organization. We are pleased that this channel is starting to take hold for Credit Union ONE, and are excited to see continued interest and participation in these events.”

For those interested in learning more about the questions and answers of past sessions, readers are encouraged to check out the notes tab on the Credit Union ONE Facebook page, and stay tuned to the page for an announcement of the next session.

Credit Union ONE, headquartered in Ferndale Michigan for over seventy years, offers a wide array of financial services and access to over 28,000 ATM’s nationwide, serving 106,000 members, with eighteen offices in three major metropolitan areas, including Metro Detroit, Grand Rapids and Traverse City. For more information go to cuone.org or "like us" on Facebook

Contact Judi Desilets, Director of Public Relations for Credit Union ONE, 248-584-5224, Judi_Desilets@cuone.org